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KERALA REELS FROM FLOODS

Written by Lim Jin Jie

Situated on the southern reaches of India, Kerala usually receives high rainfall. This year, between August 8 and 15, Kerala received 250% more rain than usual, causing one of the worst floods in a century to the southwestern state. As of August 20, close to 350 people have died in the floods, while thousands remain marooned. Entire villages have been lost to landslides and the torrential downpour, uprooting close to 200,000 families who are now forced to live in relief camps, spending days without power, food or water. The flood is estimated to have caused close to 2.6 billion USD of damages (and growing). Besides that, the government has to deal with possible disease outbreaks in the evacuation camps due to the close proximity and high concentration of individuals. While monsoon rains have eased for now, the efforts to reach out to the civilians, especially in hard to reach areas, must continue at full speed.